Escort Amsterdam West, Where Locals Spend Their Evenings

West has a gift for giving old buildings new work. In Oud-West a vast former tram depot became De Hallen, home to a food hall, a cinema, a library and craft studios, with the Ten Katemarkt trading just outside. At the Westerpark the red brick gasworks of the Westergas now host concerts, festivals and restaurants among lawns and reedy ponds. Further north, the Spaarndammerbuurt holds Het Schip, a social housing block so richly sculpted that it became a museum of the Amsterdam School of architecture.

Between these landmarks lie streets with plenty of character: the Kinkerstraat and the Jan Pieter Heijestraat for shopping, the terraces around the Mercatorplein in De Baarsjes, and the long green corridor of the Erasmuspark and the Rembrandtpark on the western side.

Stays in West follow the district's mix. Design hotels and serviced apartments have moved into converted schools and warehouses around De Hallen and along the Overtoom, which also connects the neighbourhood with the Vondelpark. The Houthavens, on the water north of the Westerpark, add newer waterfront rooms. At the western edge of the city, the business hotels around Sloterdijk station serve conference guests and travellers who value the direct trains to the airport. If you have taken a short stay flat above a shop, include the name on the bell with your street and number.

Companions who live in the Jordaan are a matter of minutes away, and those in the old centre come out along the Rozengracht. For Oud-West, De Baarsjes and the Westerpark, allow around twenty to thirty minutes after confirmation. Bos en Lommer and the hotels around Sloterdijk sit beyond the ring road and usually take thirty to thirty-five, depending on the A10.

Parking in Oud-West is tight and many streets run one way, so she may step out at the corner and walk the final stretch. If a festival is on at the Westergas, mention it, because the lanes around the park fill with bicycles and taxis at closing time.

West does not dress up for its evenings, it relaxes into them. An early drink on a terrace beside the Kostverlorenvaart, small plates beneath the girders of the former tram sheds, then a late film in the cinema next door or a walk through the lamplit Westerpark before returning to your room. On festival weekends the Westergas becomes the loudest and happiest corner of the city.

Bianka is a devoted home cook with a weakness for vintage fashion and wine tasting, and she would happily take the long way past every food stall and clothing rail. Karolina, poised and witty, enjoys architecture walks, and the curving brick of the Amsterdam School rewards exactly that kind of eye. Tina, confident and easygoing, collects records and knows her craft cocktails, a fine match for the bars around the old depot.

Cross the Singelgracht eastward into the Jordaan, or follow the Overtoom toward the museums of Oud-Zuid. Guests at Sloterdijk are well placed for Schiphol, and the Coentunnel leads under the water to Amsterdam Noord. For the starting price and how longer evenings are quoted, see rates.